Dec 9, 2015 – Golden BC Snowmobile Conditions and Conditions Report

In the past week here in  Golden BC, the good snowmobiling conditions have  been in the trees. We’ve had a  lot of new snow but also strong winds and fluctuating freezing levels, which have made for a myriad of conditions depending on elevation. KHMR has reported 51 cms of new snow in the last 7 days and the precipitation is still coming down as we write this. There’s been reports of excellent riding from all 3 of our maintained trails and there’s a lot of deep snow in the trees. Please remember to ride with partners and be prepared for emergency situations. We are entering the darkest days of the year and it’s easy to stay out past dark. A huge thank you to Golden SAR who had multiple calls this past week from sledders who were stranded. We’re very lucky to have skilled rescue volunteers in Golden.

Check out this video from Silent Pass on Friday by the Mountain Motorsports crew.

 

Avalanche Safety

We are reminding all riders to be vigilant with avalanche safety this weekend as the new snow is quite heavy and there are several buried levels worth being concerned about. As the temperatures get colder this weekend,  the snowpack is forecasted to  tighten up but it’s always heads up hockey in Golden BC.

Please visit  http://www.avalanche.ca/  to know the avalanche conditions.

Grooming and Fee Schedule

The freezing level rising will be rising to 1900 m for a couple of days and will make grooming difficult so please bear with us if you plan on riding mid-week; the warm weather makes it hard for the trail to set up overnight and whoops form quickly during the day when the sled traffic starts. Freezing levels are expected to drop below 1000m for the weekend so we will be back to normal with lots of new snow in the alpine.

The grooming and fee collection schedule is as follows:

Quartz Creek
Grooms scheduled: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (evenings).
Fees: Everyday  ($25/rider)

Gorman Lake
Grooms Thursday, Saturday (evenings).
Fees: Thursday-Monday ($25/rider)

Silent Pass
Grooms  Thursday (afternoon)
Fees:  Friday, Saturday, Sunday  ($25/rider)

Some of you may be wondering where your $25 trail fee goes to; 100 percent of it goes back in to the use and maintenance  of our snowmobile areas. Here is a rough breakdown of some recent expenditures:

• $150,000 for trail grooming operating costs going into Silent Pass, Gorman Lake, Quartz Creek, and a couple grooms a year into the Blaeberry and Susan lake.
• $10,000 for brushing along the trails
• $14,000 for bridges
• $58,000 for Quartz Creek cabin renovations
• $1,200 signage

Much of the SledGolden program is overseen by a volunteer board of directors who put in many hours behind the scenes to keep snowmobiling thriving in Golden.

Communications

Our staff at both Silent and Gorman are able to call up the logging roads on your behalf. If you have your own radio please use the following channels:

Silent Pass radio channel:North Fork FSR 152.870 (to Silent Pass)
Gorman radio channel: Dogtooth FSR 153.320

 

New ORV Act

New for this sledding season is the implementation of the Off Road Vehicle act in British Columbia: a document outlining new laws regarding registration and safe use of ATV’s. As of November 1^st 2015 all BC residents must register their snowmobiles to legally operate them on crown land including forest service roads. That includes Silent Pass, Gorman Lake, Quartz Creek and the groomed trails going into each zone; the RCMP and Conservation Officers will be enforcing the ORV act and writing tickets to those not in compliance. You can register all your atv’s at any ICBC outlet with a one-time fee of $48 plus the cost of a plate or sticker that must be clearly displayed, and be prepared to pay the pst if you bought it used privately.

There are no new laws about insurance on your snowmobile but the decades old law stating you must carry a valid driver’s license with $200,000 third party liability.

If you are not required to register your snowmobile in your home province, you must carry proof of owner ship (bill of sale) and a valid driver’s license when visiting BC to ride. If your home province requires you to register your machine you must carry the supporting documents to prove it is registered.

A couple other points of interest in the ORV act are the law requiring all riders to wear a DOT approved helmet and the minimum age to operate a snowmobile on crown land is 16; unless under supervision of an adult with a valid driver’s licence.

Support Our Sponsors

The brand new Holiday Inn Express on the south side of Highway 1 is Golden’s newest hotel. They’ve been excellent supporters of our club since they opened and please consider staying with them the next time you’re through town.